reputation

It seems that people have no problem destroying the reputation of others, including those who used to be friends. Why is it that we feel free to air dirty laundry and frustration about friends with others, in effect destroying their reputation? If you have a problem with another person, then why don't you go to that person and talk with him or her rather than join in the sin of detraction or defamation with others. It all comes down to how we handle conflict, and frankly, many people, including those who call themselves committed Catholics, fail in handling conflict. It is very disappointing to find that some people have no problem throwing away friendships because of misunderstanding, a misunderstanding that could probably be cleared up with some honest talk. But even if you have no desire to reconcile, there can be NO EXCUSE for sharing in the sin of destroying another's reputation. During this Christmas season, let us search our hearts and find if we have failed in this area and seek out confession.

Advent

We have just celebrated the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception and now we are really moving quickly to the Christmas season. Advcent is this time of preparing for the birth of our Savior. There are many ways to prepare, of course. But the most important way is to approach the sacrament of Confession. Afterall, Christmas is about Christ, and the baby Jesus, laying in a manger, points the way to the day when he will be food for your souls. To truly receive the graces and blessings of our Lord in Holy Communion, a soul purified and cleansed through confession will allow you to experience a closeness with God as you receive communion. Ask the Blessed Mother to pray for you that you may find a good confessor and that you may unburden yourself of any attachment to sin and to free you from any mortal and venial sins you may have committed. Mary always points the way to her Son.

Jesus Christ: The Answer?

The Prophet Isaiah mentions that when peace comes to Mount Zion, then the lion will lay down with the lamb and the wolf with the kid. It is the peace of Jesus Christ that brings to fulfillment this vision of all the countries living in peace. Yet, today we see so many countries at war with each other. We see even Christians fighting with other Christians. What happened? Why do we fight and spread hate when we claim to have a relationship with Jesus Christ? And with four billion people on this earth rejecting Jesus Christ outright and following other religions or no religion at all, it begs the question whether there is any relevence to be being a Christian. Of course, I believe that answer to be a yes. There is no other name in heaven or on earth that will save us. Jesus is the way to the Father. And for countries to live in peace, for Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Lybia, Syria, Israel, and all the countries of Europe, Asia, the Americas and Africa, then this peace will come only when we all turn to the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, and live by his teachings, and seek the will of the Father in our lives.

Saint Andrew

St Andrew, the brother of St Peter, our first Pope, was the one who in the Gospel of John brought his brother to Jesus. Any time we have a memorial or a feast of an apostle, it is a good opportunity to remember to pray for vocations to the priesthood. The Spirit is calling men to the priesthood, but many are not listening. For many, it is because of celibacy. It is true that celibacy is demanding, and for many it is a struggle. It would not be a sacrifice of it were not demandning and a cross. To be honest, it is a big cross for me and for other priestst that I know. There are many days that I desire to live the life of a married man with children. And every day, I wake up and once again commit myself to celibacy for the sake of the kingdom. There is much sorrow in celibacy and much sorrow in the priesthood, but there is also much joy in celibacy and much joy in the priesthood. St Andrew, pray for us.

The Pope's condom remark

There are so many articles coming out on other blogs, including Fr Z's and Amy Welborn's, as well as comments by Janet Smith, Philip Lawler, and Fr Fessio, that I would not even attempt to add my own two cents here. Suffice to say that the mainstream liberal media, as well as the more conservative Fox News, are purposely misrepresenting the Pope's comments. No surprise. The media in the US and Great Britian as well are hostile towards the Church. But even the more liberal Catholic newspapers and periodicals, as well as liberal Catholic groups, are perpetuating a myth of what the Pope actually said. It's basic common sense. The Pope would never say that it is a moral act to engage in any sexual activity outside of marriage, so for the liberal media to claim that the pope said that everyone could use condoms to avoid infection from sexual diseases is a lie. The example used by the Pope is of a male prostitute. Pope Benedict is basically saying that the prostitute's use of a condom would signal to his conscience that actions have consequences and that he might, just might, be having a moment whereby he would see that a need for transforming his life from a life of disordered sexuality to one of chastity is possible. As was pointed out by Fr Fessio, this is not even a lesser of two evils argument. It's a subtle distinction that is being lost on the large majority of people who live by the soundbyte and by their own need to justify their own behavior. If you follow the teachings of the Catholic Church in regards to sexuality, then the use of condoms would play no role in any activity, whether for contraception or for the protection of various sexually transmitted diseases.

not much to say

It seems that the days have gone pretty quickly since the last posting. In that time, I have been checking out Fr Z's blog, www.wdtprs.com. He has some interesting pieces of information there. One post recently was a eprson writing in to him that he had attended a confirmation and was disturbed that many of the young teens in the pews were playing games on the phones during Mass and even when approaching the extraordinary minister of Holy Communion. What sadness!! It just confirms to me, though, that we do not have a shortage of priests. If the future of our church is to be made up of people who would rather play games at Mass than pray at Mass, then in a few more years, our churches will be even emptier than they are now. Pray not only for priests, but please also pray for an increase in devotion especially among our young people.

Hereafter

It's All Saints Day, the true meaning of Halloween (all Hallow's Eve), in which we honor the men and women who have come before us in our faith and are recognized as saints because of their holiness of life. It is a reminder to all of us what our true destiny is, and that is to be in heaven with all the angels and saints worshiping our God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. There is a new movie, directed by Clint Eastwood, called Hereafter, which deals with life after death as well as near death experiences. It is a very powerful movie with some intense scenes. Clint Eastwood avoids mentioning any religious creed in the movie (except for a very short scene at a funeral with what looks like an Anglican priest), but he hits the spirituality of the question of what happens after death. Of course, in the movie are the skeptics, those who believe that after we die we basically become food for worms. Reading comments about the movie ons ome websites, you will also find that the skeptics are all around us, usually saying that Christians who believe in a heaven are delusional and believe in fairy tales. I have a difficult time believing that the Apostles would risk their lives for a fairy tale. Why would those eleven men, plus St Paul, spread the news about Jesus Christ's rising from the dead if arrest, torture and death were the result of their preaching? In any event, everyone will eventually find out for himself whetehr there is life after death. In the meantime, let us pray for the intercession of the saints that more people would come to recognize Jesus Christ as our Savior, the Messiah, sent by God to free us from a life of sin.